Can You Relate?

[LOIE]

Hello everyone, I am returning to this board after a few years away. In February 2020 my little dog died. Then COVID hit and I was out of work for March and April. I got to go back but unemployment compensation did not come until July. Then on Oct. 21st my husband of 40 years died. Two weeks later my oldest sister died of COVID. Then in November I had rotator cuff surgery. So, yeah, 2020 was not my favorite year.

But I dare say that many of you have had trials and difficulties to deal with also. And while this may not seem related to race relations discussion, I believe, since we are all of the human race, we do often have similar experiences. I have learned to like a song titled Relate by King and Country. The writers of the song say, "This unifying song attempts to bring people together despite our varied journeys and viewpoints, inviting listeners to see the beauty in our differences. It drives home the point that the human experience is a shared experience, no matter where you come from or where you're headed."

They also ask "What does it mean to relate to people who grew up a little bit different from you? What does it mean to relate to people who have different thoughts than you? If is possible to actually have empathy and compassion for people that you may not agree with? Good questions.

 

[lg325]

Welcome back.

 

[BULLDOG]

 

[Notaradical60]

Well all of you humans have a long way to go to reach my level of enlightenment so there's that. welcome back Human!

 

[Augustine_]

They also ask "What does it mean to relate to people who grew up a little bit different from you? What does it mean to relate to people who have different thoughts than you? If is possible to actually have empathy and compassion for people that you may not agree with? Good questions.

There was a study that I believe was recent, but I don't feel like looking it up just for USMB, that found the lower your IQ level, the less you are able to imagine living in somebody else's shoes. Their brains aren't capable of it. So I'll answer your question with a question; how smart do you believe Americans to be? The evidence doesn't look good.

 

[Notaradical60]

There was a study that I believe was recent, but I don't feel like looking it up just for USMB, that found the lower your IQ level, the less you are able to imagine living in somebody else's shoes. Their brains aren't capable of it. So I'll answer your question with a question; how smart do you believe Americans to be? The evidence doesn't look good.

We have fallen behind some third world countries in Education. But indoctrination is alive and well !

 

[Augustine_]

We have fallen behind some third world countries in Education. But indoctrination is alive and well !

Not sure what point you're trying to make, but I'm curious about what 3rd world countries you think have better education systems than ours?

 

[Augustine_]

There was a study that I believe was recent, but I don't feel like looking it up just for USMB, that found the lower your IQ level, the less you are able to imagine living in somebody else's shoes. Their brains aren't capable of it. So I'll answer your question with a question; how smart do you believe Americans to be? The evidence doesn't look good.

I'm about to leave for the night but I'd actually be interested in getting a link to that study. If anybody cares to look for it which I kind of do but won't now (maybe tomorrow), the gist was that people who are above a certain IQ are able to tell a story about 2 people talking; the next tier of IQ can tell a story about 2 people talking whose conversation is about 2 other people talking; the next tier can tell a story about 2 people talking about 2 people talking about 2 other people talking; and so on. It was an interesting read.

 

[daveman]

Hello everyone, I am returning to this board after a few years away. In February 2020 my little dog died. Then COVID hit and I was out of work for March and April. I got to go back but unemployment compensation did not come until July. Then on Oct. 21st my husband of 40 years died. Two weeks later my oldest sister died of COVID. Then in November I had rotator cuff surgery. So, yeah, 2020 was not my favorite year.

Welcome back. I'm sorry for your losses.

 

[Muhammed]

Hello everyone, I am returning to this board after a few years away.

What were you in prison for?

 

[Anomalism]

We have fallen behind some third world countries in Education.

Source?

 

[LOIE]

There was a study that I believe was recent, but I don't feel like looking it up just for USMB, that found the lower your IQ level, the less you are able to imagine living in somebody else's shoes. Their brains aren't capable of it. So I'll answer your question with a question; how smart do you believe Americans to be? The evidence doesn't look good.

That would be an interesting study. Maybe I will research it. Personally, I do not believe that IQ has anything to do with the ability to feel empathy or the lack thereof. I have no idea how "smart" Americans are. I suppose we could find statistics somewhere, but I would prefer to deal with people's souls, from where their love of others comes.

 

[LOIE]

I'm about to leave for the night but I'd actually be interested in getting a link to that study. If anybody cares to look for it which I kind of do but won't now (maybe tomorrow), the gist was that people who are above a certain IQ are able to tell a story about 2 people talking; the next tier of IQ can tell a story about 2 people talking whose conversation is about 2 other people talking; the next tier can tell a story about 2 people talking about 2 people talking about 2 other people talking; and so on. It was an interesting read.

Haven't found that study, but did find some interesting things pertaining to IQ and empathy.

IQ, short for intelligence quotient, is a measure of a person’s reasoning ability. In short, it is supposed to gauge how well someone can use information and logic to answer questions or make predictions. IQ tests begin to assess this by measuring short- and long-term memory. They also measure how well people can solve puzzles and recall information they’ve heard — and how quickly.

Somehow we seem to think that IQ only indicates how smart you are. This definition makes me wonder about that.

Then there's this: IQ tests “measure a set of skills that are important to society,” notes Scott Barry Kaufman. He’s a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. But, he adds, such tests don’t tell the full story about someone’s potential. One reason: IQ tests favor people who can think on the spot. It’s a skill plenty of capable people lack.

So, with these things in mind, I don't see how IQ can determine how I am going to feel or have empathy towards other people.